


Snowy Fox

by Burgie



Series: 12 Days of Ficsmas 2017 [9]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 23:25:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13110711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Zelda gets an early Christmas present for her birthday. Zelda belongs to zeldadawnbrooke on tumblr.





	Snowy Fox

This year on Jorvik, Santa didn’t go very far to deliver the presents. He didn’t have to, not when his little helpers had plenty of sleighs to bring the riders directly to the big man himself. And so it was that Zelda boarded the sleigh, sitting among the presents and yule goats (which, to her surprise, were moving), clutching her Christmas stocking. It was red with a white trim up the top, and had her name sitched in white velvet on the front of it in quite nice, swirling text. Almost cursive, but more legible than any cursive she’d ever seen.

“It’s a bit early for Christmas, don’t you think?” the helper guiding the sleigh had grunted upon seeing her standing there with her stocking.

“Yeah, but it’s my birthday and I was wondering if maybe Santa could give me my present early or something,” Zelda had said, playing with a bit of her hair.

“Eh, he’s generous, you might get lucky,” the helper had said. “Well, hop in.” 

Now, as the sleigh flew through air that was rapidly getting colder and snowier, Zelda hoped that the helper, and her assumption, had been correct. It would be embarrassing to go all this way with her stocking only to be turned around and sent back. Or, worse, to receive coal in her stocking. But she’d helped Santa a lot in the past Christmases on Jorvik, maybe he’d remember that.

Once the sleigh had landed, Zelda hopped out, hearing her horse also clambering out behind her. She petted its nose, then pulled herself up into the saddle, riding at a walk over to the slippery ice slope. Then, with a grin, she poured on the speed until her horse slid down the slope, skidding to a stop at the bottom and carving out shaved ice. Zelda laughed and her horse whinnied like a little foal as they shook snow off of themselves and rode through the village. But Zelda began to worry slightly as she approached the big guy in red. Her fingers kneaded the top of the stocking, and she chewed on her lower lip. But her horse, sensing her doubts, snorted and walked up the slope to Santa’s cottage. Zelda trembled.

“Ho ho hello, Zelda,” said Santa, seeing her. Zelda grinned, trying not to show how suddenly scared and unsure she was.

“Hi, Santa,” said Zelda. Her horse tossed its head, and Santa saw the stocking.

“Oh? What’s this?” asked Santa, seeing it. Zelda took a deep breath, then finally spoke.

“I-I was wondering,” said Zelda. “It’s my birthday today, you see, and I know it’s not Christmas yet, but I was wondering… there’s only one thing I really want for Christmas, and I don’t mind if I don’t get anything else, but-“ Her horse neighed, pawing the ground, urging her to just get on with it. “I really want a Mistfox,” Zelda finally finished. “For my birthday.”

“Hmm, well, it is rather close to Christmas,” said Santa.

“I know,” said Zelda. “I guess I could wait a few more days, but-“

“However,” said Santa, holding up one red-gloved hand and smiling. His eyes twinkled when he did that. “I think that I can make an exception for one as kind as yourself.”

“What?” said Zelda, and then gasped and had to struggle to hold onto her stocking as it suddenly became heavier. She looked into it, eyes wide, and could only sob with delight as a little red and white-furred face with a little black nose and large yellow eyes looked up at her from out of the stocking. It gave a little yap and licked her nose, and Zelda cooed and laughed as she pulled it out of the stocking and hugged it, grinning.

“Happy birthday, Zelda,” said Santa, smiling.

“Thank you, Santa!” Zelda cried, and dismounted her horse carefully, the fox hopping down into the snow and running around in the white stuff. Zelda wrapped her arms around Santa, hugging him gratefully and thanking him over and over.

“Oh ho ho, you are most welcome, my child,” said Santa, patting her back. “You go and have a very lovely birthday now, and have a very merry Christmas.”

“Thank you,” said Zelda, still grinning up at him, and then turned to play with her fox in the snow. Her heart was almost bursting with joy, and she couldn’t stop grinning even if she’d wanted to. Her horse got a treat too, eating a gingerbread cookie from Santa’s gloved hand and receiving a pat on the head.


End file.
